The Obama Administration recently announced that the University of Tennessee will lead the U.S. Department of Energy’s new Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Advanced Composites. Headquartered in Knoxville, the institute will focus on making advanced composites less expensive and less energy-intensive to manufacture, while also making the composites easier to recycle.

With these improvements, manufacturers will reportedly be able to reinvent products that are at the foundation of our clean energy economy—many of which directly impact our daily lives. For example, wind turbine manufacturers could build longer, lighter and stronger blades that create more energy, and automobile manufacturers could build passenger cars that are 50% lighter and use 35% less gasoline. 

For more information, visit www.energy.gov.